Women who write tend to know they’re looking for something, but oftentimes they don’t know what. They understand that there’s a deeper and greater force than they can even begin to wrap their minds around that pushes them, drives them, and some of the time, yes, messes with their heads.

Last weekend I had the privilege to attend a Hedgebrook-sponsored event in San Francisco—a conversation between Dorothy Allison and Karen Joy Fowler. I spent much of the evening nodding my head along with the forty-plus other women (and two men!) in the crowd. The wisdom of these two long-time writers and teachers in the presence of so many students was palpable. During the Q&A, a question was posed: What do you want from writing? Read more